June 30, 2008

The Seiler family has asked that UGA fans NOT attempt to view the ceremony. Please respect their wishes. For most of the animal's life it is the team mascot, and they share their pet with us in that regard.

Today, they are burying the family pet. Not the team mascot. Give them some space.

50
comments:

Anonymous
said...

I hope the Dawg Nation stays respectful about this. My wife and I have a few dogs of our own, some will never understand the emotional bond you develop with an animal. Losing a pet is like losing a child, so I imagine the Seilers' pain as being equal to the loss of a 9 year old son.

Give them their time and they will reward us with UGA VII who will begin his reign during the Richt era. This means we might be witness to the beginning of a legendary tenure as the future winningest UGA.

God bless their family for doing what they do. I imagine it can be both a blessing and a curse sometimes.

I imagine Erk Russell meeting him at the gates of Heaven with a bag of cubed ice and a window unit A/C.

Anyone else have visions of what's going on up there?

(I wasn't even going to mention how long I think the line is of people waiting to get their picture taken with him)

I know I'm going to get a number of critical responses, but the Seilers can't have it both ways.

I appreciate the fact that the Seilers have raised generations of mascots. I appreciate the fact that they share their pets with the Bulldog nation.

on the other hand, it has not been a one way street. The Seilers have benefited from the UGA relationship with Uga. The Seiler family gets "insider access" that they have found valuable, and other perks such as assistance with traffic before games and parking that the average fan does not get. I do not begrudge the Seilers getting return from providing a mascot. However, the Seilers do not get all of that because they have a cute family pet. If they are going to benefit from having the team mascot, they can't have a burial in the public facility while contending it is simply a private service for their family pet.

I understand a desire to have a dignified service, but I don't think that Joe Fan standing reverently on the bridge watching would detract from the moment.

I think I hear the hoof beats of the 4 Horseman of the Apocalypse....this topic and drama have completely gone off the rails....now we are equating the loss of a pet dog with that of a child....as a father of 2 and the owner of a dog (along with previous dogs that have passed away), I can say that to analogize the loss of both as being remotely equal is one of the more spectacular claims I have heard yet....the closest person I have lost at this point in my life was my mother, and I can tell you that losing any of my dogs did not even enter into the same universe of emotion -- I can't fathom losing my 8 or 9 year old boys....we really need a new UGA news event to distract us and to bring this whole privacy topic to a merciful conclusion

I actually agree with the opinion of anonymous. The Seilers have quite closely guarded their claim to the mascot. If they would like their family pets to themselves, they are free to bury them in Savannah in the backyard, and UGA can go grab another white bulldog from a family line with far less hereditary issues than the current one. I like Uga, but the documentary on him gave me mixed feelings about those around him.

Folks, you need to brush up on your history of Uga before you say that the Seiler family cannot have it both ways.

Long ago they agreed, at great expense (not just monetarily) to themselves, to SHARE their family dogs with Georgia. They did not agree to hand over the mascot for the University's purposes. All Uga have been and always will be a family pet.

That does not mean they give up all rights and expectations of privacy & respect from those that claim to love Uga, Georgia athletics, and the University.

And to suggest that their special parking status somehow affords you the right to interrupt a private burial service, is simply ridiculous. You obviously have not a clue what the Seiler family sacrifices to share Uga with Bulldawg Nation. I can assure you, its not an even trade - not by a long shot.

The Seilers are generous people who have more than earned the right to a moment of privacy & respect for their family pet. Period.

Having had to put my two of my springers down when they were almost 15, I can understand the Seilers' wanting UGA VI's burial to be private. For my part, it was Puddle-on-the-floor uncontrollable sobbing. Here's to VII, wherever he is.

Uga is our dawg, he will always be our dawg. As a symbol, he will live on. Whatyagotloren is the Seiler's dog and they can have any service they like, under any circumstances they like. I guess UGA could have had a service in Sanford that 15-20000 people would have shown up and whooped and hollered. But, that would not have been fitting for a noble dawg or his owners. Uga lives on and soon will will have Uga VII to be our new Dawg. Long Live Uga. I want to thank the Seilers for providing the line for the University. It is a lot of responsibility and a lot of work--not to mention all that goes on with living with a dog. The Seilers are also responsible for the choice of the next Dawg. With as many folks who want to have their kids picture taken with him, I shudder to think what would happen if he nipped at a kid. Drago

I am not in Athens any longer anyway, but if I were still a student there I would want to watch. I can understand if the Seiler's don't want people coming in for the ceremony and sneaking in the stadium, but for the life of me I cannot figure out why it would bother them to have people watch from the bridge respectfully. I just don't see the harm, I guess, in a few folks watching a funeral quietly from 200 yards away.

Really, as I have understood it, S. Seiler had the initiative to grab a bulldog and go to the SID at the time, saying hey look, this dog would make a great mascot after taking it to the games while he was in school. Done, and they have benefited from their "sacrifices" over the year. For me, this isn't so much about the dog. It is just another example of someone enjoying the notoriety they have gained via a very public service, but complaining when they are actually treated like public figures. You get what you ask for. If Uga V's Whatchayagot Loren was just another English bulldog, they are completely justified in asking for a private funeral, but they made him a public figure. Maybe we should leave them to a private ceremony ushering in whatever they come up with for Uga VII because hey, in the end, it is still their dog, right? However, I bet they would be pretty disappointed in the crowds didn't acknowledge that event. Yes, it is a non-issue- all summer football news is, usually. I just don't like the hypocrisy. Meg

To those who think they deserved to be at the burial of Uga VI, what right to the dog do you claim to have? Did you feed him, take him for walks, pay for his enormous vet bills, carry him from Savannah to Athens for gamdedays, attend thousands of UGA events, fundraisers, and picture days for the sake of the University?

I'm reading a discussion, not an argument. This was a Dawg that was near and dear to all of us.

Dawg05 -

I feel pretty certain that thousands of fans would have willingly done the things you described.

What right do Uga VI do I claim? I claim a Georgia education and UGA fandom. I claim all of the traditions and emotions that come along with being a member of the UGA community and with following Georgia sports.

I don't feel I had the 'right' to be at his burial but I can understand some people thinking that way. I also feel sorry for you if you don't understand that and hope that one day you will.

PWD -

That's one helluva deal, as was Sanford's plan to have individual donations pay for the stadium.

I think the fact that Uga V passed the bone earlier in the year to VI, we all kind of new it was coming. I was attending UGA at the time Uga V passed, and I remember being sad, but they changed the collar, and we got to let V rest for a little while before he passed. It seemed a little more inevitable. Uga VI's passing just seemed so sudden.

I was thinking about going to the bridge and try to get photos of the funeral but once I saw your blog post yesterday I could not in good conscious go against the wishes of the Seiler family. He was a DGD and will be sorely missed.Hopefully UGA VII will be at the Countdown to Kickoff Gala! I can't wait to welcome him to the fold!

I claim the same rights to the University, but I don't claim a right to someone else's pet. I agree that thousands of fans would probably do the same thing that the Seilers do, but the fact is that they don't do what the Seilers do. If the Seilers want a private ceremony to remember their family pet, I believe in honoring that request. I think that getting pissed off about not being invited is just a tad bit immature.

If the UGA airplane flies S. Seiler and the dog from Savannah it looks less like a "private ceremony."

Frankly, I have no problem with UGA flying Seiler to Athens and letting him bury the dog at Sanford. Its the mascot, for Pete's sake. I am amused at the claim that it's a private family affair using the University jet and Sanford vault, though.

Hey PWD:Is it customary to have a temporary plaque on the tomb or is the one shown on AJC.com going to be the final one. I just noticed it didn't have a quote at the end such as "Damn good dawg" or "not bad for a dawg" like some of the others have.

Also if I misspelled anything or messed up any of the tomb readings I request that readers don't call me a dumbass for not getting it right. That's what my wife is for.

To paraphrase Kevin Spacey's character in "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil":

"No matter what you do for the rest of your life, you will never be as famous as UGA."

Every DAWG fan will get their chance to pay their respect to UGA when they attend a game. If the funeral was open to the public, there's no telling how many people might show up and how they will act. This isn't Picture Day.

The University airplane is not a private holding. Sanford Stadium is not owned by the UGAA; it is owned by the Board of Regents. Any bets that the University physical plant employees owned the vault, and university police provided security?

By the way, the UGAA isn't totally private, as the open records court cases show.

I have no problem with the plane, vault, use of the stadium, etc since the dog is the University mascot. I do find it inconsistent to use the university assets then call it a "private, family matter." If the university and the Seilers did not want a crowd at the funeral then don't announce the place, date and time. Instead, have the funeral without advance publicity and issue a press release once it is over.

I could be wrong, but it seems like some of you are saying that when ANY public figure dies his or her funeral should be open to the public?

Most famous individuals have private funerals or private burials. What's you reason for being there? ''I'm a fan.'' So farking what. I have one word for y'all: 'empathy'

And what's more pathetic is that when the dog's owner asks people not to come you still have a problem with that?

''Hey Dude, Coach Richt asked everyone to wear black to the game. Why are you in red?''

''I do what I want.''

Awesome.

And then to hear people bash the Seilers? You people are either bitter at the world or just grade A a$$h@les.

It would be MUCH easier to not have Uga. Imagine having to take a dog all around the country, be nice to EVERYONE you meet, take a million pictures, and take care of someone with celebrity status. You know what happens if you're having a crappy day and your Uga's handler? You have to smile and shake hands and pretend like this fan is the most important fan in the world.

Uga is the most easily identifiable icon with UGA. They should get special treatment of gameday. Why? Because they show up early to set up camp to allow fans to take pictures with their dog.

I'm not bashing the Seilers. I'm not saying that all public figures should have funerals, parties, weddings, etc open to the public. I don't have a problem with Seiler not wanting folks to show up.

I'm just pointing out the inconsistency in releasing the date, time and place to the press, allowing a newspaper to take and publish photos, and, most of all, accepting use of the University airplane, using the University building as a masuloeum (bad spelling), using University employees to prepare the final resting place, using University security to keep out the uninvited, and then saying, "It's a private, family matter." You don't invite the AJC reporter and photographer to a "private family matter."

It would have been more internally consistent to have the funeral at UGA expense before announcing the internment details to the public and then issuing a press release about it.

I am not bitter at the world, or any part of it.

Maybe I am an a**hole, I hope not, but I can't speak for others' view of me.

I'm sure many of us would jump at the chance to be Uga's owner now. But back in 1956, many of the "perks" the Seiler's now receive were not there. Driving the dog to over 300 games - back and forth from Savannah, is no treat. Devoting your time to take the dog to events - where the University gets publicity, is not an easy thing. Having to smile and be nice to complete stranger for hours on end is no picnic. The Seiler's certainly do benefit, but they do also sacrifice.I'm sure you all feel a connection to Uga, as do I. And having a connection to a public university makes it feel as if things should be public, but the university has many, many private events (which are paid for by taxpayer money).Yesterday was the Seiler's time to say goodbye. You can say yours at his grave on August 30.

Perhaps it's time for the Seiler family to call it a day and have another University of Georgia family sponsor UGA. I'm sure many would love the opportunity and would do an equal if not better job than Sonny. But nope - that will never happen. Sonny, Swann, et al love the attention and the constant notoriety that comes with being UGA's first family.

As for Seiler discussion above, it sounds like people are getting tired of seeing Sonny Seiler's mug all the time and are a bit tired of hearing the Seiler name mentioned as often as Herschel. I, for one, can't blame them.

It's very sad to beleive that UGA fans would act like this about Uga's funeral. The Seilers owned Uga, and it was their decision to make on the funeral. In the begining, the idea was, that Uga belonged to the Seilers, but they would willingly share him with the university, and take him to all of the events.

So all of you shooting down the Seilers for making Uga's funeral private, you should know that it is their time to say goodbye to their family dog.

Losing a dog after all you have been through with it really can be just as bad as losing a child.

The Seilers should be thanked for all of their efforts and hard work with Uga.

I know alot of you, including me have that feeling or connection inside with Uga, and how painful it feels after losing him. But you should not be mad at the Seilers for making the funeral a private matter. Because that feeling inside is much greater with the Seilers.

After I heard the news of Uga's death, i shut off my TV and went up to my bedroom, and sat down for about an hour without a word. I dont think i have went five minutes without thinking about Uga since then. But I have not attacked the Seilers. I fully respect their wishes. And hope the best for them and Uga the sixth.

Anon 12:21 said,"After I heard the news of Uga's death, i shut off my TV and went up to my bedroom, and sat down for about an hour without a word. I dont think i have went five minutes without thinking about Uga since then."

Is this a joke? Are you serious? I cried when we lost to Penn State and the national title in '82. I almost cried when I learned Herschel left. But back then I was 11 YEARS OLD!!!

Sorry to bust your little pity-party, but you need to get real and get a life.

As for this nonsense about losing a pet = losing a child - while losing a pet can be painful to some degree, losing a child is the most horrendous pain a parent can endure. Families are supposed to outlive their pets - Parents are NOT SUPPOSED TO OUTLIVE THEIR CHILDREN!!!! For someone to claim the two are even in the same universe is by far, BY FAR, the most ridiculous, offensive, pathetic remark I have ever read.

Jeeesh - some of you guys really worry me.

As for good 'ole Sonny, Mr. Sphinx himself - thanks for the special dogs. But don't tell me sir that you don't absolutely love the attention your service brings. If not for UGA, you'd be another talented attorney in a relatively small southern town. But thanks anyway for your and your families service to the University. It's much appreciated.

hey, I left that comment to lit you people know that bashing on the Seilers for wanting to have their family pet's funeral is really not right. Not to hear people attack me on how i personaly felt when i learned of Uga's death Acting as if I did not care about Uga at all.

And when a dog is the only thing in your life, and, just as an example. If a dog is the only thing in your life, and it depends on you take care of it, that is sometimes the only purpose people have left in their lives. To take care of that one thing closest to you

So losing dogs really can be as painfull as losing other family members.